An easy berry tea scone can be a low-sugar healthy dessert. When I don’t know what to bake, and have a sweet craving, it’s a scone!
Whether you pronounce it sgonn or scone, it’s a score that will be gone soon!
…Like this raspberry lavender scone plate that’s irresistible during heart month and for a Galentine’s dessert 💕
Pair heart healthy raspberries and dark chocolate (with flavanols that improve blood flow) for a tasty anti-inflammatory effect.
And if you’re wondering what separates a scone apart, here’s my take…
A scone is a breakfast pastry, a sweet snack like a cookie, and more elevated than a bar. It’s also an EASY bake you can make low-sugar and healthier with your delicious flavors!
Cut round like a pie, but looks flat like a pancake (before the oven)… a scone comes out of the oven wedge heel-raised elevated, puffs up in the center, and crunchy inside and around in all the right places.
You can be creative and dream up your own easy scone flavors to life. This is the new food wheel… with berry and white chocolate. 😊
And if you cut the wedges before it goes in the oven, like this…
…You’ll have less crumbs on the baking board and more in your mouth.
Plus with cut wedges, whether you share or not, you’ll know how many wedges are left… before it’s sgonn. 😋
That I’m sure is fast. It’s a good idea to go ahead and make 2 scones side-by-side to anticipate its appeal.
And if you have an event you need or want to bring a dessert to, a scone is a smart, foolproof one!
You can’t mess it up, and it will be a hit 🙌
On that note, the reason I really like a scone is you don’t have to do any prep work.
For starters, the few, small pats of butter you use can be straight from the fridge or freezer and works better.
Because cold keeps the fat separate with small pieces in the dough, so that when it goes into the magical oven, steam happens and creates air pockets so you get an airier scone like you expect in breakfast pastries.
That’s the fascinating baking science part.
And with the texture working for your easy berry tea scone, you can add almost any sweet food ingredient that inspires you.
Think of the variety of tasty, healthy anti-inflammatory flavors (aka flavanols).
…Like spices, healthy smoothie powders, extracts, berries, honey, tea, and fruit. And for the wet ingredients, you can use tea like Early Grey bergamot or lavender that I added.
Perfect pairings for weekend Sunday brunch or afternoon tea! 🫖
A technique I like: in a mug, add warm tea water to honey to liquefy, plus the tea all together. Let it cool and then add to the dough mixture.
You can also shredded coconut or zest like in a low-sugar orange scone (that’s like confetti 🎉).
Think also of healthy cake ingredients you can use.
…But without any egg or milk (if you choose).
Which means a easy berry tea scone can live longer if you want it to last on a room temperature plate.
All in all, this is a delicious dessert for any occasion that no one will know there is very little sugar (and no table sugar) if you choose.
Shhh!… unless you tell ’em.
Because honey and butter alone are a delicious pairing that is enough for a delicate and decadent pastry.
But why leave it there? Healthy tea and fruit in an easy berry tea scone adds an elevated taste.
And while I pulled 13 pantry and fridge ingredients in total (in the recipe), you can make this with half as many ingredients or less if you want to keep it simple… starting with some flour, butter, liquid, and sweet.
And to keep it healthier, use a healthier flour blend (e.g. almond or gluten-free flour), less butter, honey, and brewed tea. Up to you!
One thing in common is your easy berry tea scone will be delicious. See what you can come up with using my recipe as inspiration. 🍥
This is a berry tea scone that you can make your own flavors and ingredients with the instructions provided
Course afternoon tea, Breakfast
Cuisine American, british
Servings 8pieces
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
3/4cupalmond flour
1/2cupall purpose flour
2Tbspbutter, cold small pieces
1tsplavender tea (brewed and cooled)
1-2tspraw honey
1Tbspblueberries
1Tbspraspberries, dried or fresh
additional berries for tops
1/4tspcinnamon spice
1/4tspsalt
1/2tspbaking powder
1Tbspwhite chocolate (optional)
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Fully hand mix ingredients into a 4" dough disc. If you find that the scone dough is too dry (and won't stick together), add a little inspiring liquid that can be water, or flavored teas to get a dough that sticks together and slightly moist to the touch. If you find the scone is too wet or sticky, add some dry ingredients like spices, almond flour, and/or healthy powders.
Press additional sweet ingredients like berries randomly to the tops.
Cut 4" scone into 8 pie wedges.
Bake at 325°F/165°C for about 35 minutes (or until browned all around).
The adult eczema that I first experienced in 2020 and then recurred in 2021, I’m happy to say has never made a significant return. Embracing an anti-inflammatory diet and changing my sugar habits I know has supported this.
Especially foods and baking ingredients that have eat-from-the-rainbow polyphenols 🌈 and antioxidants.
…And below 👇 you can learn how to get better informed about anti-inflammatory foods to choose from in my free anti-inflammatory diet guide offer.
Because you get to choose and be your own health advocate.
And now after some years of personal history for me to look back on, I can share what has worked for me in my eczema skin flareup prevention journey.
…And I think could definitely help others… maybe you?
My hope is that I can inspire a healthier eating anti-inflammatory lifestyle for everyone.
And at the very least (if you find skin unwanted challenges), you know that the foods you eat can help be the transformative solution.
Because skin irritations as warnings are no fun.
And common eczema (that’s irritating) is different for each affected person, as we each carry a different body that expresses inflammation differently.
Looking back to these more recent past years, there were moments when I saw the pink irritated skin wanting to flareup, but know better now since I nip-it-in-the-bud by preventative skin moisturizing (generously using daily lotion and self-care).
So any eczema possibilities went away within a TV commercial. The main point here is: eczema is about self-care. 🫶
And information is power.
It’s self-empowerment.
When you know what to do, that’s the difference between guessing… and maybe exacerbating the issue… or staying stunted, not knowing what to do or which way to go.
And specifically for eczema that’s a dry skin issue.
That can worsen with hot or cold weather that’s often on the forecast.
Our skin is the largest organ in the body. And it needs lots of moisture.
Anything preventing that can be a culprit to disturb the balance in any part of the skin that covers our entire body.
Sometimes we forget and can detail care for our cars or belongings better than our own bodies.
And eczema skin can be sensitive like new baby skin, so it needs TLC.
It’s tricky because it shows up differently and on different parts…
Where it can look like a sunburn or frostbite, or acne variations. Either way, I knew the irritated skin cause is from being outdoors earlier that day or pollen-related allergies.
But that hasn’t stopped me from all day hiking… I think you gotta live a little, weigh the benefits, and pick your battles wisely!
Again, this is how being informed is power.
Because you’ll know it’s the same cause.
…Like when there is irritation on my typing fingers. That’s where eczema began in 2020. And now when I see a pinkish glow light up there, I know right away what to do…
I reach for moisturizer as the quick remedy.
So if you ever have question about whether it’s eczema on your skin, maybe this could be the answer…
Give your skin a drink of a water with (non-clogging) moisturizers (like you would consume for your body and to avoid headaches). 💦 Water is life.
Then repeat.
And even better, you can prevent eczema flareups with the foods you eat. And specifically anti-inflammatory diet foods that I’m passionate about.
Sugar for me is the biggest no-no. And I’m sure this is for many other sweet tooths out there.
A little sugar is okay, but the 25 grams (or about 2 Tbsps) allotment mentioned per day is too much for eczema (and anti-inflammatory living) from my experience.
…And is why I created my own baked low-sugar desserts that are based on my childhood dessert and catering work memories.
Because I would see on television food shows that I love, to add 1 cup of sugar in the mixing bowl or thereabouts, and sometime more. And a cup btw is 200 grams of sugar per recipe that would be doing your body no favors if you didn’t share the dessert.
And how do I know that too much sugar exacerbates eczema?Because when I tipped the scales on my body, enjoying the happy foods with sugar (that could easily be store-bought fruit juice or candy), I got the pink light warning.
…The same warning that I accidentally itched when I didn’t know better in 2020. I connected the dots.
And as sugar can show up on irritated, crawling skin, it’s even worse undetected in the body. Diabetes 2 is one of the fastest growing lifestyle diseases (that’s preventable).
So with body inflammations, it’s always about playing a game of not-tipping-the food scale (with inflammatory foods).
Any person who can’t eat sugar (diabetics) or is borderline can tell you how reading ingredients and labels becomes a part of grocery shopping life and daily meal prep.
And along those connecting-the-dot lines, eczema is a pre-health inflammatory condition warning.
…Where I’m actually glad I got that warning (as uncanny as that may sound as I ended up in the hospital)… because it got me to change my eating habits one food at a time. And grow even more healthy conscious.
Acute inflammation is a warning to chronic or recurring inflammation that’s a leading cause of chronic diseases (that are the highest causes of mortality). And an anti-inflammatory lifestyle will help prevent this.
So before eczema, I believed in an anti-inflammatory diet and that was the only diet book I followed… and then after my first eczema experience, I was completely sold.
And eating less sugar aligns with an anti-inflammatory goal of eating healthier.
All sugars are not created equal in inflammation. Some types are perfectly fine for me (…and I’ll spell that out further below). Even though moderation and mixing-it-up (variety) is still a smart, healthy strategy.
So giving up all sugar is not really what I’m suggesting… I think that would be NO FUN and missing out on daily joy. Plus nature put sweet taste buds on the tip-of-the-tongue for a good reason.
And on my sugar journey, years before I did a sugar fast as part of the start of a new year with my church 🎉 and by my 30s, had cut out sodas, donuts, and drank less juices.
I hadn’t arrived to my desires, but year after year I was heading in the healthier direction.
And then in 2020, I started learning to bake sweets I’d never made before.
Today, all I make for sweet bake consumption are low-sugar recipes. Small amounts of fruit, honey, cinnamon, and monk fruit sugar can be all the sugar add.
You can always zhugh the sweet at the end, on top, or individual consumption.
Like for picky sweet eaters.
…Let them candy bar their own tops.
That’s something I learned about working in catering and party planning for hotels and restaurants for years. The zhugh is important.
It’s part of what is remembered and special. And each day should be an event.
In catering, I learned food details are the cherry on top. And love is in the details. A little sparkle you add that can be a honey glaze, orange zest, or a dusting of cinnamon can be the healthy dot and dash. And to prevent eczema with exclamation points. ‼️
It’s the little things that add much (but not much to eczema).
Balancing happy and healthy (and moderation) eating is how you strike the sweet spot.
Where you can splurge one day, challenge yourself to fast on the splurge the next day, and maybe upcoming days.
A sugar fast is a good challenge.
It starts in the kitchen.
I don’t have a bag of loose sugar waiting to be used and am intentional about what sweet snacks or ingredients I bring home these days.
Like coconut flakes or a variety of nuts that are just as easy to source gather.
I leave them in plain sight as healthy somethings food inspiration.
And those as examples of simple ways, I gradually got control of my sugar cravings.
It doesn’t have a hold on me or my taste buds. And it doesn’t have to on your either.
I’ve learned to confidently bake without table sugar from all my fun kitchen experimentation (that’s now been in 4 different home kitchens)
Being aware, aligned, and focused on inflammatory prevention is how I can breathe sigh-ingly… and report no lasting effect eczema flareups.
That’s aligned with healthy eating and an anti-inflammatory diet that follows food-as-medicine and eat-from-the-rainbow healthy principles. All while enjoying delicious food pairings that pleases a foodie.
Early in my 20s, I learned about antioxidants in a college semester I took off. I volunteered for the American Cancer Society down the street, where I remember their bright fruit food poster hung on my wall (for future inspiration?).
And funny (or ironically), whole foods didn’t go out of style. Decades later, they’re still around… and are still the superfoods. There’s so much nutrient-dense variety to choose from that the body loves.
It’s a winning proposition because the body and person is happy. 😊
And on that mission, I invite you to learn more about an anti-inflammatory lifestyle diet, eat-from-the-rainbow foods 🌈, and how to wisely eat your way toward anti-inflammation, anti-eczema, and your longevity.
You can get the FREE informational anti-inflammatory food guide that has hours of research condensed to easy food lists and charts, to inspire and align you to what healthy foods to choose from when you’re grocery food shopping and preparing meals. 🍽️
Sweet potato sour is one delicious comfort soup. If you like dramatic soups with a melange of umami and herby fresh flavors (like Pho broth), you’ll love this elevated sweet potato soup.
It doesn’t need salt with all the punchy flavor adds. It’s also low-sodium.
It’s an anti-inflammatory soup that’s great anytime of year and will be good with your favorite flavors made from fresh ingredients. 🥣
I call these penny adds because spices, herbs, and alliums are when you break down the costs. Since 2020, homemade, warm low-sodium soups are the way I roll.
After you soften and prepare your cooked sweet potatoes in a pot of heated water, that usually takes about 45 minutes on medium-high heat, you can mash them down in the water.
You can decide whether you like a thicker or thinner soup. Thinner would be with more water, and straining out the small sweet potato pieces (that you can enjoy or use separately) .
And a thicker soup would be on the opposite spectrum, with less water. It’s kinda like deciding if you like high pulp OJ (or no pulp). And in line with cold, winter month extra Vitamin-C decisions
This sweet potato soup bowl is great for those reasons.
It’s when a bowl like this is love and hearty comfort. You can add in all your immunity flavor foods like mushrooms, red onions, more onions (green), and cilantro. 🍄🟫 If you like, add in your jalapeño or mild peppers. Some people like to add garlic, but I like to save some flavors for other soups.
Shiitake mushrooms are high in Vitamin D that go well with a cold weather bowl.
I also added a jammy egg as the top bowl feature. My personal rule is if it’s savory sauce or soup, add an egg. Poaching eggs for any bowl occasion is easier done than many think.
And it’s not only delicious, it’s nutritious.
The egg yolk has less sodium than the whites, that may sound surprising when you break down an egg. That could make the yolk sunnier to some (that grew up eating only the egg whites).
And eggs in general are a way to get in more protein, and alphabet soup D, E, A, K, and Bvitamins.
That’s also a good time to add in your healthy fats (olive oil, Omega 3, etc.) for better absorption. And healthy fats mean it’s a better time to take your fat-soluble daily vitamin supplements.
A bowl of soup can be the timely reminder. 😊
Then you can also add in your elevated noodles and fish sauce. I opted to add in rice (unlike Pho) and soy sauce (where a reduced low-sodium version is an option).
A drizzle of lime juice adds more zingy taste. It pairs well with the fresh cilantro. And healthy lime juice is good for preventing kidney stones and for the skin, while anti-inflammatory cilantro has many benefits including detoxification.
…Sounds like a lot added, but they’re easy ingredients to add.
Oh, and don’t forget to add in additional proteins where the possibilities are endless… chick peas, meatballs, chicken, seafood, fish, and tofu.
In this dreamy soup bowl you can do you. 💭
If you like this soup, you may also like a turmeric soup that would be a good variety. And is perfect if all you have is the (turmeric) spice and soup warm water. It’s the simple things that are the best….
And what makes this sweet potato soup, sch-weet. 🍠
This is a delicious warming bowl of soup that you can elevate.
Course Soup
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
3medium to large sweet potatoes
2Tbspgreen onions, finely diced
2Tbspred onions, diced
1Tbspcilantro (or parsley), cut
1tspsoy sauce
1tsplime juice
1Tbspjalapeno or bell peppers (optional)
Instructions
Prepare sweet potatoes: peel potatoes and cook them in a pot of water on the stovetop in medium heat until potatoes are soft.
Keep stove on and mash sweet potatoes (in the same pot), straining small sweet potato pieces into a separate bowl if you would like a thinner soup.
Add all other ingredients in the pot. If cooking raw ingredients like mushrooms, allow 3-4 minutes longer. If adding poached egg, add to pot for several minutes until the egg yolk turns translucent. For a jammy egg, add about another minute to the poached egg time and take out of the pot into your soup bowl, with a slotted or regular spoon to stop cooking.
Tofu pepperoni is plant-based and a healthy protein snack or topping-add to your pizza without guilt. Below, it’s the new pepperoni 🍕
And even further below is how to make this liked (or disliked) food (depending on the taster), a regular part of your healthy food meal prep for grab-and-go protein. Or add to pizza food.
Unlike regular cured meat-based pepperoni that’s hands-down liked, tofu is a healthy topping sub on pizza. Regular pepperoni is high in saturated fat, sodium and acidity.
But tofu is the opposite. It’s lean. low-sodium, and considered an alkaline food.
If you experience heartburn often from certain foods, tofu pepperoni could be one protein substitution answer.
It’s also a one big block full of calcium, iron, and fiber.
…So when it’s put that way, maybe worth a go?
And maybe help sway your tofu decision in your upcoming grocery trip. Or may open your eyes to make you look at tofu in a new light.
Plus, if saving grocery money matters to you, tofu could be a good protein savings.
Tofu disguised as pepperoni could be the idea to give the creamy protein block a needed new identity (for you). If you can get your mind to agree to the tofu look and taste as similar… or at least agreeable with enough salt and spice tastes added, then you get all its benefits.
And if you’re not too familiar with tofu (or never tried the food before)…
Tofu is the Japanese name.
The other common names are bean curd or soybean curd.
It’s a soy food. You can also find soy in edamame and soy milk where you may know other soy ingredients.
But unlike those soybean products, tofu is easy to find. Today you can find it in most mass grocery stores.
It’s usually in a white container that the protein spongy-looking block looks like it would fit in, and what you find when you get inside the no-mistake-it’s-tofu packaging.
But tofu won’t end up looking like a spongy block after you crumble up the tofu protein. That’s also a legume.
Because it’s soy, it’s a legume.
Legumes are the larger plant-based food category.
It’s a broader category of plant-based foods that gives you a healthy food variety to choose from and additional fiber to add to your diet.
But usually you just call out the food name instead of legumes. Like beans, peanuts, and peas.
And if that’s what you’d like to add more of in your diet, maybe try a 15-bean turmeric soup…
With all the variety out there and plant-forward foods growing abundantly outside, it’s easy to see why natural foods is a forward path to food sustainability.
…And is great for those who don’t eat meat, and for those who do.
Plant-based tofu pepperoni can be the first thing you reach for when you’re hangry for a snack or wondering what to eat.
Spiced up, tofu pepperoni can have similar tastes to meat pepperoni.
Easy-to-find spice powders like paprika and chili powder give a closer-to-pepperoni reddish color.
You can add sharp and punchy spices flavors like fresh garlic powder and cumin. Plus, salt balances well with oregano for an herb-y taste.
Oregano is one of the healthiest antioxidant herb spices on our planet. It has a sweet peppery note and goes well with any savory Italian dish or red tomato sauce.
To make the tofu pepperoni:
From a standard 3″x4″tofu block (14 oz) that comes in a common tofu plastic container found in grocery stores, cut the tofu into 3 long rectangle pieces so then you have 3-3″x 4″ rectangles. A regular bread knife works well for this task as tofu is soft and smooth like butter.
From there, you can cut out the round pepperoni shapes. Since the tofu rectangle is about 3″x 4″, a round cookie cutter about 1-1/2″ (4 cm) works well. I didn’t have a round cookie cutter that size (and you probably don’t either), but I found a 1-1/2″ round spice container top worked perfectly. So look around your pantry and kitchen. A small juice glass could even work.
If you have perfect cuttings, then you can cut out 12 pepperoni that you can then cut again each pepperoni round in half (because they’ll be thick). I like to do it this way because it’s easier to cut smaller flimsy tofu pieces. But you do you!
So you’ll end up with 24 pepperoni plus tofu scraps that you can make into a tofu scramble 🥣 or tofu scrap (a new dish?). 💭
Then, make a spice dip. Add in all the spices you’ll be using with a little water (as the glue), and dip each tofu pepperoni in.
Dust with additional red paprika. I find a tea infuser works for this step because the small, even holes lightly dusts just enough for the reddish color effect (without adding too much of the spice).
Do this with all the pepperoni round slices.
In the process, I found I lost a few because tofu is soft and more delicate to work with. I forgot they weren’t hardy like meat.
Those broken ones went to the edible tofu scrap pile that will also get cooked up.
And in your sautée pan, cook tofu pepperoni rounds for about 15 minutes total, gently flipping over once, about halfway through.
Then they’re ready for eat-alone snacks and on pizzas. They will stay good in the fridge for 3-5 days (and you can also freeze them for longer).
On pizzas, since the tofu is already cooked, you can add them as pepperoni toppings during the last 5 minutes in home pizza oven baking.
And if you want to accompany the tofu rounds with more plant-based eating, you could add herbs and microgreens and make a salad. 🌱
Cut wet tofu block into 3 (3"x4") rectangles. Cut round tofu pepperoni shapes using a round cookie cutter (or a round kitchen item like a round spice lid top for the tofu pepperoni round size you desire). Cut tofu rounds if thicker than 1/4".
Mix spices with a small amount of water (about 1/2 the spice amount). Dip each tofu pepperoni round side in the spiced-water.
Evenly sprinkle additional paprika (for red color) on each tofu pepperoni round. Tip: use a tea infuser with small evenly-spaced holes to maximize pepperoni color effect but not adding too much additional paprika.
On the stovetop, cook tofu pepperoni on medium heat in a skillet for a total of 15 minutes, about 7 minutes on each side (flipping tofu pepperoni rounds once)
Use as a topping to pizza that can be baked in near the end or enjoy the tofu pepperoni as eat-alone snacks. They will last for 3-5 days in the cool part of the refrigerator.
Ceviche is a great shrimp and protein appetizer (or shrimp salad). It’s a healthy snack (or meal) that also brightens a table.
Decorating food tables with food is something I know about having planned hundreds of parties at Mediterranean cuisine restaurants.
And my humble start began creating catered events in American hotels, so making food at home brings it all full circle.
I have history with ceviche that was a hip trend in my catering days that went along with tapas (small plates).
I remember the Spanish restaurant I was at had a menu as big as Cheesecake Factory’s menu (without all the ad pages 😊).
And while I didn’t see ceviche on the menu often, Rosa Mexicano at National Harbor in the DC area was my go-to.
They crushed ripe avocados at your table to make fresh guacamole.
And what’s more exciting than fresh foods… that you can make yourself at home for very little cost! Tasty fresh guac is only a few fresh ingredients.
Avocados are the star and waiting for them to ripen faster is the hardest part if there is any. You can leave at warmer room temperatures on those efforts.
And also place next to other ripe fruit and/or a closed brown paper bag to speed up.
The beauty is perfectly fresh soft/ripe avocado has a short shelf-life of a day or two. A lot like cilantro.
For guacamole with a bite and for your ceviche, you want to use fresh cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro as some don’t, you can use fresh dill or parsley.
And for an unforgettable ceviche, you can lean on the trifecta ingredient effect of: red onions, cilantro (or fresh culinary herb), and lime juice.
If you finely chop the onions, they will be a delight in the melange.
Then you can add supporting healthy food ingredients and enhanced flavors. Like radishes, oranges, and tarragon herb spice added.
This is not a wimpy ceviche.
It’s for foodie tastes, and Chipotlehealthy food sensibilities.
And saving the best for last: the protein seafood item.
Seafood is healthy lean protein with zinc that impacts immunity and metabolism, and Omega 3s for optimizing the health of vital organs (heart, brain, and eye health).
It’s an anti-inflammatory category of foods.
You can store seafood (and fish) in the freezer until you’re ready to use.
I’m biased about the Old Bay seafood spice blend because I’m from that Delmarva area that douses Old Bay (that’s not an Old Spice deodorant) on everything savory. It’s in the water’s air. And I even douse on my ceviche.
To reel in the ocean-y ceviche appetizer to green land, I added asparagus spears and cilantro stalks. It’s now a salad.
And I made additional ceviche salad with oranges so it’s a tropical salad. Notice the salt rim that’s just too martini glass good.
This is a healthy light protein filled appetizer, meal, or snack you can enjoy year round with your favorite ingredients. You can share this or enjoy this for yourself!
Course Appetizer
Servings 1person
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
1dozenshrimp (or seafood of choice)
1/2red onion, finely chopped
10-12leavescilantro, finely chopped
2tsplime juice (add more as desired)
1tsporange juice from a whole orange
1wedgesmall orange wedges
2tspsweet bell pepper or pimento pepper
2-3radishes, minced (optional)
1avocado, small pieces (zhugh on top)
tarragon herb spice (zhugh on shrimp)
salt (for glass rim)
Instructions
Cook the shrimp (or seafoods of choice).
In a bowl, toss onions, cilantros, peppers, radishes, and oranges like a salad with the juices. Let the juice marinade in the salad for a few minutes..
Then add salad to a martini or other presentation glass/bowl/vessel. Add salt to the rim (optional)
Using a spoon, add small avocado pieces on top. Add shrimp. Sprinkle tarragon on top. Share and enjoy!
